MNA Blog (Page 44)

Recent news and updates from the Minnesota Nurses Association.

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Willmar is the latest Minnesota community to face major changes to its local hospital as officials negotiate a takeover by an out-of-town entity.

Rice Memorial Hospital’s board has been negotiating an “affiliation” with St. Cloud-based CentraCare behind closed doors for the last few months.

MNA nurses at Rice Memorial have taken the lead in raising concerns about the secrecy of negotiations, calling for transparency and public input into a decision that will have a major impact on patients, the community, and staff.

Nurses are attending and speaking at Willmar City Council and hospital board meetings, and talking to members of the public at the county fair and other events, urging residents to get involved in the process and ask questions.
… Read more about: Willmar nurses urge community residents to ask questions about hospital affiliation plans at Sept. 13 meeting  »

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In: Elections, Governor, Home, Organizing, Politics

By Katie Gjertson

MNA Political Coordinator

Anyone who spent any time at the Minnesota State Fair quickly realized that candidates have launched their political campaigns for governor. Campaign teams were gathered around the candidates, and everyone talked in animated conversation. Colorful signs with logos and slogans outlining the candidate’s positions were around every corner. This one is a pretty big deal for Minnesota, and this election will determine our collective destiny.

 

No matter our differences as Minnesotans, we all want pretty similar things: respect and dignity at work; access to quality, affordable health care when we need it; to be able to provide for our families; to supply our kids with shoes and everything they need for a school year; to be safe in our communities and to arrive safely at work or school; to have access to fresh fruits and vegetables; to be able to take the time off work when we or a loved one is sick; clean water, clean air, and clean lakes; to afford the occasional vacation; and to be able to retire with dignity.
… Read more about: What Kind of Minnesota Do We Want to Live In?  »

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In: Home, Mayo, Press Releases

For Immediate Release

Contact:  Rick Fuentes
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

Contact: Barbara Brady
(o) 651-414-2849
(c) 651-202-0845
barbara.brady@mnnurses.org

 

(St. Paul) – August 31, 2017 – MNA nurses at Mayo hospitals in Austin and Albert Lea today ratified a plan for dealing with the effects of Mayo’s decision to upend patient care at both hospitals and close most inpatient services in Albert Lea.

Following several days of negotiations, a majority of nurses from both hospitals voted to accept Mayo’s offer to address issues including patient care training for nurses who move to a new unit, seniority, retention, and severance for nurses whose jobs are affected by the decision.
… Read more about: Press Release: Albert Lea, Austin nurses ratify Mayo offer on options for nurses facing layoffs; will continue ‘Save Our Hospital’ effort  »

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In: Home, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Barbara Brady
(o) 651-414-2849
(c) 651-202-0845
barbara.brady@mnnurses.org

Contact:  Rick Fuentes
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

 

(St. Paul) – August 28, 2017 – MNA nurses at the Mayo hospitals in Albert Lea and Austin will vote August 31 on Mayo’s offer on issues resulting from the decision to disrupt patients and nurses in both hospitals and close most inpatient services in Albert Lea.Nurses concluded Effects Bargaining with Mayo today, and reached agreement on a number of issues, including patient care training for nurses who move to a new unit, job protection, seniority, retention, and severance.
… Read more about: Press Release: Albert Lea, Austin nurses will vote on Mayo offer on job security  »

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In: Allina, Healthcare, Home, Insurance, Jason Lewis, Politics

By Jean Forman, RN

MNA Member

 

I’m a nurse at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. I’m also MNA tri-chair for Abbott and for Phillips Eye Institute. I recently attended a rally at an elected representative’s home to support expanding Medicaid. My journey from a political bystander to an activist has been accelerated by the Allina Metro strike of 2016. I learned so much about how legislation can affect me at my workplace and more significantly how the right legislation can impact the public good. I have been supported at MNA by so many people to get active. So I have tried a few things over the last few years, but I would say the strike and the election last year gave me the impetus to really get out there.
… Read more about: Political Activism and Its Many Forms  »

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In: Home, Hospitals, Member Blog, Patient Safety, Standards of Care

By Juli Uzlik, RN

MNA Member

It’s amazing how just the smallest change can have the biggest effects on registered nurses and their patients.  At my hospital, Fairview Southdale in Edina, a temporary nursing consultant came in and decreased the staffing in the Heart Center by one nurse per shift. The hospital has taken away one charge nurse where there have been two since the inception of the unit.

Not a big deal, right?  Still have a charge nurse.  Not really.  The Heart Center is laid out in two separate sections with literally a wall and a hallway between the two sections. 
… Read more about: Brain Drain  »

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In: Home, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Barb Brady
(office) 651-414-2849
(cell) 651-202-0845
barbara.brady@mnnurses.org

Rick Fuentes
(office) 651-414-2863
(cell) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

(Rochester) –   August 10, 2017 – Minnesota Nurses Association members are standing with Albert Lea residents fighting Mayo Health System’s efforts to move most inpatient services more than 20 miles away from Albert Lea to Austin.

Nurses joined residents on buses to travel from Albert Lea to Mayo’s corporate headquarters in Rochester on August 10.

More than 200 protestors filled the streets around the Mayo Clinic in Rochester to show Mayo they want to keep care for local patients at their local hospital.
… Read more about: Press Release: MNA Nurses Stand With Albert Lea Residents Fighting To Keep Local Hospital  »

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In: Action, Elections, Home

By Jackie O’Shea

MNA Political Organizer

In a recent MNA staff meeting, Executive Director Rose Roach told us “every election cycle, we say this is the most important election ever, but that’s because every election is important.” I couldn’t agree more. In the almost 10 years I’ve worked in the labor movement, there has never been an upcoming election in which the results wouldn’t have had an impact on workers and families. Whether the top issue is education, healthcare reform, union rights, or a balanced budget, there is always something on the line.  The open race for Minnesota Governor in 2018 is no different, with current Governor Mark Dayton not running for re-election, and a plethora of candidates who have announced they are seeking the office.
… Read more about: Who Should MNA Endorse?  »

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In: Home, Hospitals, Press Releases

$900 million given to insurance companies gone

For Immediate Release

Contact:  Rick Fuentes
(o) 651-414-2863
(c) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

Barbara Brady
(o) 651-414-2849
(c) 651-202-0845
barbara.brady@mnnurses.org

(St. Paul) – July 31, 2017 – The newly announced insurance rates for the 2018 individual market show that the current healthcare system continues to be volatile and can only be temporarily stabilized with an infusion of taxpayer dollars.  As a result, Minnesotans are still wondering whether they will pay more or less in 2018 versus 2017, even though the Minnesota Legislature and Governor Dayton pushed through a 25 percent discount in 2017 and propped up insurance companies with a new program, called “reinsurance.”

“Reinsurance appears to be a tourniquet for the individual market. 
… Read more about: Press Release: Minnesotans Still Not Getting Relief from Rising Insurance Rates  »

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In: Home, Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Barb Brady
(office) 651-414-2849
(cell) 651-202-0845
barbara.brady@mnnurses.org

Rick Fuentes
(office) 651-414-2863
(cell) 612-741-0662
rick.fuentes@mnnurses.org

(Buffalo) –   August 3, 2017 – MNA nurses at Buffalo Hospital voted for a new contract with Allina Health on August 2, after standing firm in opposition to proposals from Allina Health that would have interfered with nurses’ ability to safely care for patients.

“We negotiated a contract that recognizes the important work nurses do,” said MNA Buffalo Chair Debra Kosciolek, RN. “Nurses signed petitions, marched in a rainy Buffalo Days parade, and were prepared to hold an informational picket to fight for a fair contract.”

The new three-year contract does not contain a proposed scheduling system that would have harmed the hospital’s ability to recruit and retain nurses and disrupted RNs’ scheduled time off.
… Read more about: Press Release: Buffalo Hospital nurses ratify tentative agreement  »